China: US Vice President Speaks in Shanghai, Calls for Greater Freedom in China

On Thursday April 15, the Vice President of the United States, Dick Cheney, addressed about 500 students at China's prestigious Fudan University in Shanghai during his weeklong tour of Asia.

According to a report from The Washington Post (1) on April 15, in a speech broadcast on Chinese state television, Mr. Cheney called for greater freedom in China, saying, "Economic growth is important in allowing individuals to lead lives of comfort and dignity, but material goods alone cannot satisfy the deepest yearnings of the human heart; that can only come with full freedom of religion, speech, assembly and conscience."

During his speech, Mr. Cheney addressed a number of issues regarding the U.S.-China relationship.

However, according to The Washington Post report, "large sections of the speech were aimed at prodding the Chinese leaders on the limited political freedoms in China. 'Freedom is not divisible,' Cheney declared. 'If people can be trusted to invest and manage material assets, they will eventually ask why they cannot be trusted with decisions over what to say and what to believe. The insights that foster scientific discovery are not suddenly lost when the topic turns to society's ills.'"

Freedom, Mr. Cheney said, "is something that successful societies, and wise leaders, have learned to embrace rather than to fear . . . Freedom has a power all its own, requiring no propaganda to find recruits, and no indoctrination to keep believers in line."

The Washington Post article stated, "Mr. Cheney returned to his theme even when discussing joint efforts to fight terrorism. In an apparent reference to China's persecution of the Falun Gong movement, he said, 'The war on terror must never be used as an excuse for silencing legitimate expressions of political dissent.'"(2)

1 Cheney Urges Greater Political Freedom in China

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A14256-2004Apr15.html

2 Falun Gong practitioners have no political agenda, but simply request the basic freedom to practice and follow their beliefs.